This $68 phone offers smartphone-savvy kids the childhood experiences that millennials missed out on.
Pinwheel
A new era is arriving for children who will soon experience the excitement of talking to their friends directly. Pinwheel's newest offering allows kids to have real conversations without the hassle of sending numerous voice notes first. The company has introduced Pinwheel Home, a nostalgic household phone designed for children aged 5 to 10, providing them with a means to reach out to friends and family before they get their first smartphone. The device is solely for voice calls, eliminating the distractions of social media, games, texting, and endless scrolling.
The landline makes a comeback, without the traditional phone jack
Pinwheel
Pinwheel Home has a design reminiscent of a 1990s bedroom. While it connects using Wi-Fi instead of a conventional phone line, it fits seamlessly into contemporary homes. This feature also provides flexibility, allowing placement in nearly any location with a power outlet and Wi-Fi, without needing assistance from a cable provider or drilling into walls.
The smaller Pinwheel Home Spark starts at $68 and comes in colors like white, black, blue, or purple. On the other hand, the larger Home Classic is priced at $79, available in pink, black, or white, and includes a bigger retro handset along with stickers for personalization. Both models can be purchased directly from Pinwheel, with an Amazon launch expected this fall.
Parents can manage the devices through Pinwheel’s existing Caregiver Portal. They can approve all contacts, set calling hours and limits, review call history, and more. Features such as speed dial and voicemail are also incorporated.
Calls to other Pinwheel Home devices are free
Pinwheel
One of the most exciting new features, aside from its design, is the Pinwheel calling ecosystem. Kids can call other Pinwheel Home devices for free via the company’s Circle service, which utilizes a shorter Pinwheel Code instead of a traditional phone number. Emergency calling is included in both free and paid plans.
To call regular mobile phones and landlines, a subscription is required. The $6.99 monthly Friends & Family plan provides a full 10-digit number and allows calls to five approved external contacts. For $9.99, the Unlimited plan removes the limitation of five numbers.
Pinwheel intends to introduce three-way calling and enhance integration with its children’s watches and smartphones in future updates. This could ultimately enable a child to retain the same approved contacts and number when transitioning between a home phone and a mobile device.
Vikhyaat Vivek is a tech journalist and reviewer with seven years of experience in consumer hardware coverage, focusing on...
Samsung Health threatens to delete your data if you opt-out of AI training
Samsung Health will erase your synced data if you choose not to allow it to use your health records for AI training.
If you utilize Samsung Health for tracking your sleep, exercise, or medications, you may have noticed a new consent option appearing in the app this week. Samsung is now requesting users to permit their personal health information to be used for AI training and modeling. The stipulation is clear: refuse, and Samsung will stop syncing your health data and delete all information stored in your account (via Cybernews).
https://twitter.com/Nithinlogs/status/2076900271301722313
Read more
Firefox is doubling its update pace, and that’s good news for your security
Mozilla is set to accelerate a key aspect of using Firefox: security updates. If you’re accustomed to receiving a new Firefox update approximately once a month, this frequency is about to increase. Starting in September, Mozilla plans to implement a two-week release schedule for Firefox on both desktop and Android, meaning users can expect updates twice as often. While this might seem like more frequent downloads, it’s primarily about addressing security vulnerabilities more quickly.
Why waiting a month for security fixes is no longer sufficient
Read more
If you shoot RAW, Snapseed just solved one of your biggest headaches
Version 4.1 has introduced extensive RAW format support to Android, with an iOS version on the way.
For those who shoot RAW and edit on their mobile devices, Google’s free photo editing app Snapseed has become significantly more functional. The app has been updated on Android, adding compatibility for a wide array of RAW formats that it previously could not accommodate.
What’s new in Snapseed v4.1
Read more
Other articles
New York halts the approval of new data centers for a year, becoming the first state in the U.S. to take such action.
New York has enacted a one-year freeze on data centers that consume 50MW or more, marking the first statewide halt on AI development in the United States.
LimX Dynamics achieves a valuation of $2.2 billion for its humanoid technology.
China's LimX Dynamics secured $200 million at a valuation of $2.21 billion. The founder stated, “going public is essential” as over 100 Chinese humanoid companies compete to list.
Switzerland launches an investigation into Google for the disappearance of the Android choice screen.
Switzerland's COMCO has initiated a preliminary investigation regarding Google's elimination of the Android search choice screen, which is still operational throughout the EEA.
Black Ops multiplayer is problematic on PlayStation, and Activision is hurrying to address the issues.
Activision has implemented the initial phase of a solution following the hacking of Black Ops lobbies, which started to skew XP and prevent some players from accessing multiplayer.
Pasqal's $2 billion Nasdaq wager faces a French veto.
Pasqal is set to go public on Nasdaq through a SPAC, achieving a valuation of $2 billion, which is approximately 100 times its revenue. Its regulatory filings caution that quantum technology may never generate returns, and France has the authority to approve potential buyers.
ECB selects 36 payment companies for the digital euro trial.
Deutsche Bank, UniCredit, Revolut, Stripe, and Adyen are included among 36 companies selected for the ECB's digital euro pilot, a year-long trial scheduled to commence in late 2027.
This $68 phone offers smartphone-savvy kids the childhood experiences that millennials missed out on.
Pinwheel’s vintage-style home phone offers children the ability to make voice calls with contacts approved by parents, has designated calling hours, and eliminates the need for apps or social media.